Some hires need a more hands-on search structure, especially where confidentiality, leadership fit, market scarcity, or board-level sensitivity matters. Retained search gives schools a more structured route for those assignments.
Best-fit assignments
- Headship, principal, and executive leadership roles
- Deputy head, director, and whole-school strategic appointments
- Hard-to-fill curriculum leadership roles
- Multi-campus or high-stakes replacement searches
Why schools choose this route
- Closer market mapping and more deliberate candidate handling
- Clearer communication and tighter control over confidential hiring
- A stronger search process when the appointment matters commercially and reputationally
What the first conversation should cover
The most useful starting point is a direct discussion around role scope, school context, timeline, salary positioning, and what makes the search sensitive or difficult. That allows the retained search structure to be shaped around the actual brief instead of generic recruitment assumptions.